Where are all the 70 to 72 4001’s?

atomic_punk · Post by **atomic_punk** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 10:09 am

Yeah, you don't want some tool on Ebay using your serial number as the serial number of their fake. Although it doesn't really help that much, I guess.

markbass99 · Post by **markbass99** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 11:32 am

Thanks Simon, I was always curious about that azureglo when I saw pictures of your collection, it's an extremely rare combination then of azureglo and full sparkle inlays. I have a thing for '73 4001's and currently have a "MB" jetglo, "MD" burgundy, and "ME" fireglo. The fireglo is kind of beat up so I'm getting it refinned to azureglo, the holy grail of 4001 finishes, IMO.

markbass99 · Post by **markbass99** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 12:53 pm

They are so rare the only example I have in my picture files is this guitar, photo taken by Paul W.

markbass99 · Post by **markbass99** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 1:55 pm

Just goofin' around with the camera, decided to line them up so you can see how the inlays evolved in early 1973.

wints · Post by **wints** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 2:06 pm

There's this early 73 one too...

simonmole · Post by **simonmole** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 4:19 pm

more great photos! (and a great checkerbound fretless there Wints - can't be many of those??)Yes Mark - azureglo is the colour as far as I'm concerned too... mind you I think its best set off with a few other different 'glo coloured Rickenbackers either side of it!!

sloop_john_b · Post by **sloop_john_b** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 4:26 pm

Simon, let's see some closesups of the '73 AZ!

You've also got a hell of a collection of 4005's.

chefothefuture · Post by **chefothefuture** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 4:28 pm

I have half a 72 4001 AzG....

sloop_john_b · Post by **sloop_john_b** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 4:29 pm

Got any pics, John? I remember the auction had a really ****** one.

henry5 · Post by **henry5** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 10:02 am

Dave, I'm sure there must be a law against someone (well someone other than me at least) having that many Rick basses from that period (which is also my favourite period). I think I may have to confiscate some of those while I look into it...

Simon, I still hope to come and see that azure of yours (pretty much my Holy Grail), along with all your other goodies, sometime in the not too distant future. Just make sure you have a cloth ready to wipe off the drool! Oh, and don't worry about not being able to post pictures, I can' t seem to either. Maybe it's a UK thing. Or maybe it's an 80s art college thing

Actually (unfortunately off topic by a year!), I recently came across a 73 azure 4001 with checkered binding & toaster online; it was being sold by a UK shop called Guitar Village. Changed tuners and vintage style knobs, but otherwise apparently original. £1100, with what looked like quite a bit of finish wear, which doesn't bother me.

Needless to say I bought it! I was overjoyed; I intended to get full width crushed MOP inlays and then I'd be done. What they didn't tell me until it was due to go out (this was after a delay due to having to rewind the toaster which turned out to be dead) was there was a neck repair; fairly bad crack on both sides of the nut. Ok, I thought, it may still be worth it.

When I got the bass, the fingerboard was separating quite badly at the neck end; there was a fair sized gap between the board and the neck. There were also delaminations in the body.

I contacted both Ted S and Paul W (many thanks again to both of you for your wonderful advice, and I owe you both a beer - or several - at the very least!), who both advised that not only did the bass look like it had suffered from moisture damage (judging by the amount of rust on the pickups etc and the gaps between the f/board and the inlays, ignoring the other issues, that certainly made sense) but the neck looked to need more work than was sensible given the price tag.

Given I was spending money I didn't really have for my "dream bass", I tried to get GV to drop the price and failed, so it was sadly sent back. Appears to be gone now, so I don't know if a Forumite who was more prepared to put in the money/work picked it up. A very sad decision for me letting it go, although I will say it neither played nor sounded remotely as good as my other 3 Ricks. I guess the fingerboard separation probably didn't help!

I intended to post a thread about it but was unfortunately incredibly busy around that time and never got round to it. Ted even kindly offered to post the pics I sent him, but I couldn't even get round to posting the thread! Sorry Ted! My bad, as they say over the pond...

Did anyone pick it up I wonder?

Anyway, back to 72 and earlier!

dswp · Post by **dswp** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 10:16 am

henry5 · Post by **henry5** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 10:31 am

Yep Dave, that's the one.....still, I got to try it for a week and got some nice pictures out of it....

markbass99 · Post by **markbass99** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 1:27 pm

That appears to be a ME or MF s/n, I think by MG the check binding and toasters were down to a trickle. And it looks like the split in the bridge was gone by ME because my ME has a regular bridge like this one. Shame about the damage to this one, what is it about the azureglos, it seems like most of them are abused, does the color cause some kind of rick insanity?

rick_ovic · Post by **rick_ovic** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 2:53 pm

That's the same '73 4001 AZ I missed out on a few months back.

Shaun, I'm sorry to hear about the problems you found with it. It does make me feel better though, because I would have found those same problems after having it shipped to Australia!

My experience with that shop was quite ordinary. Despite me agreeing to pay their asking price, they never once returned my telephone calls, they wouldn't take a holding deposit and they over-quoted on shipping by US$300(!).

When I finally negotiated a reasonable shipping price with them (over a two day period), they sold the guitar out from under me, because I didn't place a deposit with them(!).

I'm not surprised that the guitar had a few "hidden" problems. I've crossed that store off my Xmas card list!

henry5 · Post by **henry5** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 9:56 pm

Mark, you certainly know your stuff, it was indeed an MF. I agree about the azures, the majority certainly seem to have the blues (sorry, couldn't resist

). Very, very sad....John, I hope you manage to restore your "half a Rick" someday ( although I know you weren't planning on keeping it azure).

It would've been nice to have restored this one but there was just too much work involved for my pocket and my patience, and I think I would still have been worried (whether rightly or no)about problems due to the water damage down the line.

Darren, when I spoke to the shop they said they had "a guy from Australia" who was interested. I thought that was the usual shop patter, but I guess that was you! They probably sold the guitar out from under you to me....lucky for you really! As I say, it was nice to get the trial period and spend a few days with the bass, but it needed so much work, and I can only imagine how you would have felt upon receipt having had it sent half way round the world!